The current ethical and legal framework for protecting human subjects rests on the principles of autonomy, beneficence and justice1. These principles are achieved using Internationally, Federally, and locally defined, institutionally sponsored regulations and processes for clinical research. The Human Subjects Protection Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has a vision to be a model of excellence that ensures the primacy of human subject protections while supporting the advancement of science. Our mission to protect the rights and welfare of all human subjects involved in research, is achieved through offering support: to the investigators conducting the research; to the institutional review boards (IRB) responsible for the scientific and ethical review of research protocols; and to the subjects participating in clinical research.
The specific aims of this project include expanding UlC's education and training curriculum to Spanish and Polish speaking audiences; re-tooling the institutionally specific curriculum materials to enhance extrapolation for use by institutions outside of UIC; develop an interactive, web-based system, that investigators and research staff from across the Nation will use for education and training in human subjects research ethics that will meet or exceed current and future standards for human subjects protections.
